LeadingIT Newsletter July 2019

NEXT Generation Technology Support

July 2019

The Shocking Truth Behind The Growing Cybercrime Threats You Face...

The #1 Threat To Your Security Is...You! #Community Corner LeadingIT Culture: Celebrations 5 Underrated Habits Of Super-Successful People

GoLeadingIT.com

(815) 496-6300

THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND THE GROWING CYBERCRIME THREATS YOU FACE...

And What You Can Do NOW To Protect Your Company Are businesses losing the war on cybercrime? One recent article on ZDNet says yes. The number of security breaches has risen by 11% just in the last year. This is costing businesses even more in lost revenue dealing with these kinds of attacks. It’s wasting their time and resources.

In 2016, Cybersecurity Ventures stated that by 2021, digital crime will cost businesses a total of $6 trillion. So far, this projection seems on point as hackers continue to chip away at businesses around the world. They don’t care about the damage they’re doing.

Right now, the Internet is flooded with sensitive data.

From passwords to financial information – it’s out there.

Some of it is secure, some of it isn’t. Either way, because of the sheer amount of data floating out there, cybercriminals have a greater chance to get what they want. And over time, it becomes harder to protect that data.

But the cyber security industry has also grown in response. People are fighting back. In 2018, the investment into cyber security totaled $37 billion. However, it seems like it’s just not enough. When you look at small and medium-sized businesses – the targets of nearly 70% of cyber-attacks, according to SMB Group – cyber security isn’t taken as seriously as it should be.

In 2017, Harvard Business Review looked at the reasons behind why many businesses don’t take cyber security seriously. The results were interesting. It turned out, businesses don’t treat cyber security as “the ongoing process that it is.” Instead, it’s typically treated as a “finite problem that can be solved.” In other words, if you do the bare minimum for security today, the thinking goes, you’ll be protected tomorrow.

The problem is as the Internet changes and evolves, so do the threats against its users. It’s pretty much impossible to set up a one-and-done security solution. If you were to set up something like an SMB “quick fix” and walk away, there’s a good chance your business would be the successful target of an attack within a matter of months.

This kind of thinking is far more costly than many business owners realize. A study by Akouto and Alpha Logistics found that businesses that underinvest in cyber security end up spending more on cyber security in the long run as they deal with attacks – up to 58% more.

These costs don’t even include downtime or lost wages caused by data breaches. In short, recovering from an attack is FAR more expensive than investing in security now.

So what can you do to protect your business? You can start with changing the way you think about cyber security. You have to accept that the threats are out there and will always be out there. But there are things you can do to minimize those threats.

Start with your people. For many businesses, especially those smaller than Fortune 500 companies, your biggest threat is right inside your organization. For those of us who are Internet-savvy, most would never dream of clicking on a scammy link or responding to a phishing e-mail. We’ve been around the cyber block and we know what to look for.

However, people still fall for even the most basic scams.

There will always be someone on your team who isn’t informed about these kinds of threats, or those who use obvious passwords. ZDNet points out that “only 26% of workers know what to do in the event of a breach” and that “7% openly acknowledge that they ignore or go around security policy.”

It pays to invest in a thorough and ongoing training program. It’s crucial to outline clear and firm security protocols so your team knows EXACTLY what to do. No one’s left guessing or clicking on anything they don’t recognize.

It’s also crucial to not go it alone. The single best way to stay on top of all things cyber security is to hire a highly experienced managed services provider who is up-to-date on the threats you’re facing. Having a partner means you don’t have to assume your business is protected. You’ll know your business is protected.

The #1 Threat To Your Security Is...YOU!

#Community Corner

Well, you and your employees. Like it or not, we are our own worst enemies online, inviting in hackers, viruses, data breaches and everything else under the digital sun through seemingly innocent actions. In most cases, this is done without malicious intent.

However, if you aren’t monitoring what websites your employees are visiting, what files they’re sending and receiving and even what they’re posting in company e-mails, you could be opening yourself up to a world of hurt.

That’s because employees’ actions can subject the company they work for to monetary loss, civil lawsuits, data theft and even criminal charges if they involve disclosure of confidential company information, transmission of pornography or exposure to malicious code.

There are two things you can do: One, create an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to outline what employees can and cannot do with work devices, e-mail, data and Internet. That way, they know how to play safe.

Second, implement ongoing training to keep security top of mind. We can also run phishing security tests and score your employees. This will show you if they know how to spot a suspicious e-mail and make them realize just how easy it is to be duped.

LeadingIT Core Value of Community: “We are an extension of our clients and we promote/support our community”.

Last month we shared two ways in how we are supporting the community around us.

We not only care deeply about the community that brought us up, but we also value the resource of our very own LeadingIT team.

Every month we host a community event that gathers our team together, which brings out healthy competition, a time to be with one another outside office hours and team building.

This month we went paintballing! Our competitive natures brought us a lot of fun and a lot of paint. Check out more pictures and exciting ways we are #moving on our social networks!

@leadingit @leadingit-solutions @goleadingit

LEADINGIT

CULTURE

ANNIVERSARIES & BIRTHDAYS! Andy Latos July 19th Happy Birthday!

Dave Gregory

Sam Wiszowaty

July 22nd

July 13th -4th Anniversary

6th Anniversary

July 14th Birthday Happy Birthday!

WE'D LOVE YOUR HELP IN GROWING EVEN FURTHER, CAN YOU HELP?

5 Underrated HabitsOf Of Underrated Habits Super-Successful People Super-Successful People 1. Asking Questions.

Successful people are also the most curious. They’re more interested in finding answers than they are worried about appearing to not know everything.

2. Analyzing Feelings And Emotions.

The strongest people understand that they’re still human and learn to monitor, manage, and understand their inner workings.

3. Standing Up To Their Inner Critics.

It’s easy to beat yourself up and hard to practice self-compassion. But the latter will lead you to great things, while the former will stop progress in its place.

4. Saying No. The best of us respect their own boundaries.

We’ll give you a $500 American Express gift card for every good referral you send us. Let us know the contacts and companies you know, that have 20 or more employees, and need better technology. Simply call us at 815-308-2095 or e-mail us at stephen@goleadingit.com with your referral’s name and contact information today!

5. Leaving The Office.

Seriously, do it – even working from home for 20% of the workweek has been shown to increase productivity, not to mention sanity.

Inc.com, 3/29/2019